Clothespress attachment



June 8 1926.

1,588,167 J. E. cAPs CLOTHESPRESS ATTACHMENT Filed NOV. 9. 1923 INVENTOR A TTOR/VE Y Ja/zx; 5 (29,05; Mm

Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITED STATES a JOHN E. CAPS, OF WILME'ITE ILLINOIS.

oLoTHEsrnE ss ATTACHMENT.

Application filed November This invention relates to operating mechanism for steam presses such as are used in laundries, tailorshops and the like and the primary object of the invention is to pro 6 vide a novel form of power actuated means which will facilitate the operation of the press. Such presses usually consist of two platens, one of which constitutes thetable or support and the other a hinged head so that the garments can be placed between thetwo platens and subjected to the action of steam usually introduced into a steam chest in the lower platen. The presses are usually operated by unskilled labor. The operators, frequently, through carelessness get their hands caught between the two platens with disastrous results.

My invention contemplates as an important feature the provision of means whereby both hands must be occupied with the mechanism of the press outside the space between the two platens before the two platens can be held in relatively fixed positons to press the clothes and to this end I provide a hand guard with a hand grip to utilize one hand for controlling the steam to operate the power element of "the press and a latching mechanism with a handle to occupy the other hand of the operator so in order to cause the 0 upper platen to latch rigidly with respect to the lower platen, both hands of the operator must be occupied, one with the guard and the other with the latching mechanism, thus eliminating the danger of an idle hand becoming caught between the two platens and the mechanism is so arranged that should one hand be idle, it will be impossible tolock or latch the two platens in pressing position.

By providing-this safety factor, danger of accidents is reduced to a minimum if not wholly eliminated.

The novelty of the invention will be apparent by reference to the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an operating mechanism applied to a conventional form of press. 4

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the latching mechanism,

The press is shown as consisting of a frame 1, and two platens 2 and 3. The platen 2 constitutes a table. The platen 3 is in the form of a hinged head. The hinged head or movable .platen 3 is connected to an 9, 1923. Serial No. 673,754.

elbow lever 4 having depending arm 5 connected through linkage 6 to a pedal lever 7 provided with a pedal 8. This is all old construction and prior to my invention the head 30 was lowered by depressing the pedal 8 in a well understood manner. .In order to eliminate the necessity of operating the machine by the pedal, I have provided a power device which may use the exhaust steam from a steam chest in the stationary or lower platen 9 constituting part of the conventional machine, so that the exhaust steam which ordinarily would be wasted is utilized as the power medium for operating the press." In order to accomplish the desired result. I connect a pipe 10 to the steam chest so that the exhaust steam may be fed to i a four-way valve casing 11 having a valve 12 therein which may connect the pipe 10 with a pipe 13 to supply steam to the upper end of a cylinder 14 and connect the lower end of the cylinder 14 with the exhaust pipe 16 through the pipe 17, or the valve may be turned to connect the pipe 10 with the pipe 17 and connect the pipe 13 with the exhaust 16. In this manner steam can be introduced into either end of the cylinder and whenever steam is flowing into one end of the cylinder the opposite end of the cylinder is connected with exhaust. Within the cylinder 14 is a piston 19 having a pistonrod 20 connected to the pedal lever 7'at 21. The valve 12 carrics a crank 22 connected with a crank 23 on the head 3 by a rod 24. The crank 23 is in the form of an elbow lever and it is'fastened to a swinging actuator or control 25 in the form of a guard which will protect the operator against having her hands caught be tween the steam chests as the press is being closed. The crank 23 carrying the actuator 25 is pivoted at 26 to a bracket 27 on the head 3 and it carries a cam 28 having an offset 29 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 30 on the shaft 31 mounted in a bearing 32 on the bracket 27. The shaft 31 has a finger 33 against which one end of a spring 34 bears, the other end of the spring bearing against the lug 35 on bracket 27 On the end of the shaft 31 is a handle 36, by means of which the shaft 31 can be rocked. The crank 23 carries an upwardly extending projection 36 having a hooked end 37 to which is attached a spring 38 connected to a threaded rod 39 passing through a guide 40 on the pipe 10 and receiving a winged nut 41 by means of which the tension of the spring 38 may be 'raise the guard or actuator so as to admit steam to the under side of the piston 19 .so as to raise the head but the spring may be held against actuation when the pawl engages the tooth or projection 29 as shown in Fig. 1.

The offset or rojection 29 and the pawl 30 provide a late ing mechanism to latch the platen 3 in pressing position. The pawl 361s normally urged out of latching positlon however by a spring 34 so that if the handle 36 is not grasped by one hand of the operator to rock the shaft 31 to bring the pawl 30 into engagement with its complementary member 29, the platen 3 will not remain in pressingposition after manual pressure is relieved on the guard 25, so in order to oocupy the operator, means is provided in the form of a handle or guard 25 for the right hand of the operator and the handle 36 is to be grasped by the left hand of the operator so, that there will be no idle hand to be caught by the two platens.

Assuming the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and suppose the operator draws the pawl 30 out of engagement with the projection 29 by operatin the shaft 31 throu h the medium of the andle 36 with one and, then the operation will be as follows. to connect the pipe 10 with the pipe 17. Then steam will be admitted to the lower end of the cylinder, the upper end of the.

cylinder at this time being connected to exhaust pipe 16 through pipe 13. When the steam is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder the piston 19 will be raised, pulling up .on the pedal lever 7 swinging the arm 5 forward and causing the head to be raised so that the article to be pressed may be removed from the table and the head.

The operator ma now arrange the work on the press. To 0 ose the press the operator pulls down on the actuator with one hand and draws down the handle 36 to the full line position in Fig. 2 with the other hand until the pawl 30 engages behind the offset 29. Then pipe 10 will discharge into pipe 13 and pipe 17 will communicate with exhaust pipe 16 so that the piston 19 will be moved downward, then through the linkage 6, the arm 5 will be moved rearwardly lowering the head 3 to complete the pressing operation. It will require a very slight pres sure or pull on the actuator "25 in either direction to. cause the head to move away or toward the table because the actuator will merely operate the controlling valve, the actual power being supplied by the piston under pressure and since the press will be power operated the pressure of the head on the garment between the table and the head will be uniform andv more powerful than any pressure that could be exerted by an The crank 22 is moved rearwardly individual. Therefore'the clothes will be pressed better, the operations can be more frequent because the operator will not be fatigued easily and the efficiency of the press will be materially increased.

It is by no means an unimportant feature of my invention that the mechanism is so constructed that liability of accident to the operator will be practically eliminated.

With the ordinary pedal operated press it is not infrequent that the operators hand or hands became caught between the head the operator neglects to pull down on the handle 36 to throw the pawl over to the full line position shown in Fig. 2 and should pull down on the actuator 25, the idle hand would not be dangerously held between the head and the table because the moment the operator let go the actuator 25, the spring 38 will immediately pull the head away-from the table, thereby insuring the operator against serious accident.

What 'I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a clothes press including a table and a movable head comprising the pressing mechanism, a power mechanism operatively connected to the movable head, a controller 2. A clothes press comprising two platens, a power mechanism for bringing the two platens together in pressing position and a controller for the power mechanism including a guard in front of the two platens and means for at will locking the ard against movement, said means comprislng a manual ly actuated pawl and a stop engaged by the pawl, and a spring normally urging the pawl out of engagement with the stop.

' 3. A clothes press comprising two platens, a steam actuated power mechanism for bringing the two platenstogether in pressing position, means for feeding steam to the power mechanism including a control comprising a guard in front of the two platens and a spring actuated means for normally urging the two platens in spaced relation.

4. A clothes press comprising a table and a head, a steam actuated power mechanism meme? for bringing the tableand head into pressing position, means for feeding the steam to the power mechanism including a controller comprising a manually operated guard in .front of the table andhead to be grasped by one hand, and a manually operated latching mechanism for the controller adapted to be grasped by the other hand of the operator.

5. A clothes press comprising a table and a head, a steam actuated power mechanism for bringing the table and head into pressing position, means for feeding steam to the power mechanism comprising a valve and a source of supply connected thereto, said means also inc uding a controller having a guard in 'front of the table and head, the controller bein connected to the valve and spring actuate means normally urging the valve to open position.

6. A clothes press comprising a table and a head, a steam actuated ower mechanism for bringing the table and ead into pressing position, means for feeding steam to the power mechanism comprising a valve and means also inc a source of suppl connected thereto, said luding a controller having a guard in front of the table and head, the controller being connected to the valve spring actuated means normally urging the valve to open position, and a manually operated latching mechanism for at will lockin the guard against movement.

In a steam actuated clothes press, including a table and a head comprisin a pressing mechanism, a pipe, a valve mec anism connected to the pipe, a steam power mechanism operatively connected to the valve mechanism, a pivoted guard adjacent to the presser mechanism for controlling the valve, and means for at will locking the guard against movement, said means and the guard each requiring a hand of the operator for actuatlon' so that the locking means must be operated by one hand before the guard can be operated by the other hand.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN E. CAPS. 

